Health experts Ambrish Mithal and Raj Ganpath unequivocally agreed that losing and keeping off weight is far from easy. “The biggest challenge as an endocrinologist is that it is hard to lose weight sustainably,” said Dr. Mithal, at a session titled ‘The Weight Loss Revolution’ in The Hindu Lit for Life, where he and Ganpath were in conversation with journalist Shivam Vij.
“The failure rates of lifestyle are very high,” Dr. Mithal said.
In a world “where food is in abundance, and movement is almost unnecessary,” only 50% of people are effectively able to lose weight in a three-month programme, said Mr. Ganpath. Additionally, a large percentage of people who’ve lost weight regain it. “It happens because these lifestyle changes, we are talking about, are hard to maintain,” he said, adding that weight loss hinges on four major things: eating well and less, moving often, and exercising regularly.
“Of these four things, the one thing hardest to do is to eat less.” But that may be changing with the introduction of GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) drugs.
Side-effects of weight loss drugs
The session saw an animated discussion on several other aspects of these drugs: their origin and how they actually work, their side effects, and why they should not be taken without medical supervision. The experts also emphasised the importance of slow weight loss, why building and retaining muscle is important and also how one needs to taper off the drugs.
Dr. Mithal and Mr. Ganpath, however, cautioned that lifestyle still remains the most important aspect of health and weight management. “A lot of people, when they look at something like a GLP-1 drug, they think it is instead of lifestyle changes… instead of movement and nutrition,” said Mr. Ganpath.
But given that several chronic diseases, including obesity, are linked to a poor lifestyle, it is essential to view these drugs as something that will help you in addition to these changes, rather than a replacement for them. “We have to think of these medications as part of a weight management plan and not standalone,” said Dr. Mithal.
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